Driven by the growing needs of its producer partners, Iowa’s NEW Cooperative created its NEW Feeds, LCC, feed division in the early 90s. As technology, regulations and automation shaped the feed manufacturing industry, Elwyn Bruhl, feed division manager and 40-year NEW Cooperative employee, has witnessed every stage of this evolution. Standing within the cooperative’s new state-of-the-art Liddendale, IA, feed mill, Bruhl smiles and confidently reports: “This isn’t your daddy’s feed mill.”

Technology drives innovation. In the grain industry, this adage can be applied to everything from automation to invoicing. Notably, post-harvest grain quality measurement technology has proven to be a critical, ever-evolving tool for the industry. Quick and accurate mycotoxin testing has improved feed safety and blending techniques, however, they are limited in their ability to provide a snapshot of quality attributes at an individual-kernel level.

At the intersection of technology and population growth, the future holds unimaginable opportunities — and likely some unprecedented challenges — for agriculture.

According to the United Nations’ Population Division, by 2050 the median global population is projected to reach 9.2 billion people — about a 30% increase from today’s population. In order to meet global food demands, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates the need for a 70% increase in farm production and an...

J.D. Heiskell & Co., a 125-year-old grain and commodity trading business, motto says it all: “Right feed, right time, right place.” The privately held company as evolved it’s business to stay true to this promise, while maintaing the family values it touts as its foundation. The country's fourth largest feed manufacturing company by volume, J.D. Hesikell has boldly grown in order to keep up with the demands of its customer base, exceeding expectations along the way.

The National Grain and Feed Association will hold the 2010 edition of the 39th annual Country Elevator Conference and Trade Show Dec. 5-7 in Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown Hotel.

According to NGFA, the event is the single largest gathering of country elevator and feed manufacturer personnel. More than 500 industry members are expected to attend the day-and-a-half conference and trade show. The major trade show, which will occur Dec. 5-6 during the conference, is nearly...

Grain quality is a broad term, one that means many different things given the context of the evaluation. Regardless of whether you’re looking at the physical attributes of the kernels or monitoring moisture levels, the ultimate goal is the same: money. Once the level of quality has been determined — and hopefully maintained — using grain traceability as a jumping-off point for other process improvements will allow elevators to maximize returns from both a market and a management...

The International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) will hold its annual conference and expo in Las Vegas for the first time in the organization’s history. The association’s 114th annual conference and expo will take place April 19-23 at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel and Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2010 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo, held January 25 – 29 in Atlanta, covered an array of today’s most relevant topics during its five day educational program lineup.The American Feed Industry Association and the Poultry and Egg Institute summoned a host of the most progressive thinking minds in the poultry industry to speak at this year’s programs.

With presentation topics ranging from sustainability, animal welfare, new regulations and production...

Members will descend upon Maui, Hawaii, for the NGFA’s 114th Annual Convention, held March 3-5, 2010 at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. The NGFA convention again will feature a high-level, business-focused program featuring top policymakers, substantive open forums and outstanding general sessions exploring the most important issues facing the industry in the year ahead. These convention sessions will provide information you need to strategically position your business for success.

British explorer Ernest Shackleton finds the magnetic South Pole; the Wright brothers deliver the first airplane to the U.S. Army; the United States Mint issues the first Lincoln penny. Shortly after President Taft is inaugurated during a March snowstorm which dumped 10 inches of snow on the nation’s capital, a group of 18 feed manufacturers gathered in Chicago and agreed to form a new organization called the American Feed Manufacturers Association.

A major half-day session focusing on cash-forward grain contracting and financing strategies for 2009 will headline the program at the National Grain and Feed Association’s (NGFA) 37th annual Country Elevator and 12th annual Feed Industry Conference to be conducted Dec. 7-9 in St. Louis, MO.

More than 600 industry members traditionally attend the day-and-a-half conference and trade show at the Marriott Renaissance Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis. The major trade show, which will occur...

Anyone who doesn't buy into the fact that we operate in a truly global marketplace is only fooling themselves.

That point was clearly reinforced as I sat down for the opening luncheon at the 2008 International Grain Quality and Technology Congress. Joining me at the table were two Argentine researchers, a South African grain industry representative, our keynote speaker representing a Dutch-based financial giant that is a major player in U.S. agribusiness, and all of this, taking place in...

It’s been nearly 200 years since the railroad boom began to change the landscape of North America. Although many of the basic track components are still the same — ties, rail, spikes, plates and frogs — how they come together has changed quite dramatically, particularly in the past 10 years.

The track on which railroads and connecting industries operate is being reconfigured, rehabilitated and expanded to accommodate not only the growing volume of trains but also longer and heavier trains...

It is often said that grain quality can never improve after it's been harvested. No matter how well an elevator dries their grain, monitors its bin temperature, manages moisture and controls pests, not much can be done to bring the quality up a notch once it's taken from the plant. For the most part, this notion holds true with the exception of one measure: grain cleaning. Taking this step right after harvesting can get the whole process off to a smooth start. While grain cleaning doesn't...

Depending on whom you ask, most people will say that grain quality reaches its peak at harvest.

Indeed, once it leaves the farm, the primary driver of grain quality evolves from its initial function of producing a quality crop to one of grain quality preservation.

While the role played by elevator operators and those who handle grain as it enters the marketing channel is vital to overall grain quality, the upfront work done by grain producers themselves has added a much-needed boost to...